Cause Marketing in and for Patagonia

Patagonia, that region of Chile and Argentina at the southern tip of South America famous for its beauty and end-of-the-earth ruggedness, had a terrible fire in 2011 that left vast areas denuded of trees. Now a Santiago, Chile-based cause called Reforest Patagonia is working to replant a million trees in four of Chile’s national parks and reserves, and they’re asking for your help.

Here’s how it works: they ask that you go to www.reforestpatagonia.com and donate $4. They’ll plant a tree in your name and email you the gps coordinates of where your tree will be planted.

The website is reminiscent in its own way of the fundraising platform called www.supportewall.com which enables nonprofits to easily set up online donor walls.

I conducted a Twitter interview… my first ever… with Brenna Loury, an American by birth, but a Chilean by adoption. She got her start in Chile working for Habitat for Humanity there. That’s my first question and Brenna’s response in 140 characters or less at the left.

My thanks to Brenna for her double-quick responses to my questions.

@ReforestPatagon Q2: What’s your organization’s mission?

@paulrjones Mission: to recover one of the world’s most important ecosystems (Chilean Patagonia) by planting 1M trees before the year's end.

@ReforestPatagon Q3: I think of Patagonia as being wild and untamed. How severe is the deforestation there?

@paulrjones 42,500 acres in Torres del Paine National Park, one of Chile's top ecosystems/destinations, were destroyed in last year's fire.

@ReforestPatagon Q4: Who are the main people involved?

@paulrjones the main ppl involved are those that you can see in this album: http://ow.ly/bRm2p. We also have major sponsors like @LAN_CL.

@ReforestPatagon Q5: How does the replanting work?

@paulrjones ppl buy their trees of 3 native species and receive their GPS here: http://ow.ly/bRmsx– our team in Patagonia plants them.

@ReforestPatagon Q6: Tell me about your promotion?

@paulrjones trees are worth $4 & our goal is to sell/plant 1M before the year's end by pairing w/ public/private institutions & individuals.

@ReforestPatagon Q7: Where did the idea come from?

@paulrjones the idea came from the great pain that was evoked from the fire in Torres del Paine in 2011. We felt a powerful call to action.

@ReforestPatagon Q8: What are your goals for the promotion?

@paulrjones 1 million trees sold & planted in Chile's pristine Patagonia by the year's end! Trees can be bought here: http://ow.ly/bRn9K!

@ReforestPatagon Q9: How are you promoting it?

@paulrjones in digital & traditional press, social media, among organizations, & word of mouth. Our intn'l campaign is just kicking off :)

@ReforestPatagon Q10: How will you use the money raised?

@paulrjones the money goes to planting trees and the campaign's costs. #ReforestPatagonia is 100% non-profit.

@ReforestPatagon Q11: How long will the promotion continue?

@paulrjones the campaign will last at least until the end of the year or until we reach our goal of planting 1 Million trees.

@ReforestPatagon Q12: What kind of response have you gotten so far from English-speaking countries? What about the Latin countries?

@paulrjones an incredibly overwhelming response here in #Chile & we're hoping for the same as we expand #ReforestPatagonia internationally.

@ReforestPatagon Q13: What suggestions do you have for NPO/NGOs considering something like this?

@paulrjones be transparent, gather an outstanding team that executes, and use communication tools to the max!

@ReforestPatagon Q14: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

@paulrjones to learn more abt this (literally) groundbreaking campaign & to plant your tree pls visit: http://ow.ly/bRpoV. Thank you!! :D

Part 2: How Chili's Used Cause-Related Marketing to Raise $8.2 million for St. Jude

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Chili’s and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

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Cause Marketing

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